


I'm Stuck On You, Kiddo

by rosesofbasilandclover



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 1920s slang, Alternate Universe - 1920s, Chicago (City), F/M, Romeo and Juliet References, Widowed Ben Solo, mafia, travelling players
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2020-07-15
Packaged: 2021-03-05 06:14:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,316
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25289656
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rosesofbasilandclover/pseuds/rosesofbasilandclover
Summary: The cast of a travelling play from New York arrive in Chicago to perform their latest show, Romeo and Juliet. On the second night of their stay, the lead actors, Rey Johnson and Ben Solo, are invited up to the penthouse to have dinner with a Mr. and Mrs. Snoke. However, when the two of them are preparing for their gathering with the Snokes, an elderly lady that they meet in the lobby of the hotel warns them that some things might not be quite as they seem...ORA Reylo 1920's mafia au.
Relationships: Kylo Ren/Rey, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 3





	I'm Stuck On You, Kiddo

Rey awoke with a start. 

It took her a moment to take in her surroundings to remember where she was; on a train bound for Chicago. For a girl who grew up on the streets of Brooklyn, being on a train was something that she considered a luxury. Not to mention the luck she had when she had offhandedly auditioned for the Brooklyn Theatre's traveling production of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet. She smiled at the memory, remembering her joy when the casting director, Amylin Holdo, had told her that she had not received the role of the maid in the Capulet household. Instead, she had somehow landed the role of Juliet, the young girl who falls hopelessly in love with Romeo, the only son of her parent's worst enemies. 

As she got up off of the train bench, she smoothed out the skirt of her dress and headed out of her cabin, towards the bar car. It was strange, but in the past few months, she had gotten so close to all of her castmates that, even if she spent her whole childhood in isolation, she did not think that she could bear to be without any of them. 

As she walked through the train cars, she passed by some of her friends' cabins, and stopped to drop in and say hi if she saw that they weren't busy. She walked by Phasma's cabin and gave her a small wave through the glass window, getting a gentle smile in return before moving on to the next car. 

She gave a loud knock on the door of the next cabin she passed by, and was welcomed in with the warm faces of Rose and Finn. The couple greeted her cheerfully, before asking her what brought her by their room. 

"I was just headed towards the bar car, and I wanted to ask the two of you if you wanted to join me!" Rey replied cheerily. 

Finn gave Rose a look which said, 'Let's go, for the sake of our friend and drinks', and Rose happily agreed to come. 

"God knows, Poe's probably already there, downing his twelfth drink!" 

The friends all giggled to each other, knowing full well that Poe loved the bar car. It was all he talked about when the theatre company announced that they would be travelling by train to Chicago. 

The three of them walked through the hallways of the steam locomotive until they reached a door to a cabin right across from the bar car. Rey halted in her steps, a frown becoming more and more prominent on her face. She turned back to her friends, understanding looks on both of their faces. 

"You guys go on ahead," she began, "I want to check in on him. It can't be easy for him, travelling alone with the company for the first time since, well, y'know..." 

Her voice was becoming thicker with emotion, but thankfully Rose dragged Finn away to the next car, but not before she patted Rey's shoulder in encouragement. 

When she was alone in the hallway, Rey approached her co-worker's door and knocked lightly. 

"Who is it?" He asked in a tired, low voice. 

"It's just Rey, I wanted to check on you." 

"Come in, Rey." 

She slowly pushed open the door to his cabin. It was dark inside, the blinds were covering the windows and the lights were turned off. Ben was sitting on his cot, holding a photograph in his hands. He did not speak, but he did not turn away from her, so Rey took this as an open invitation to sit down next to him on the bed. 

"You really miss her, don't you?" She asked, voice laced with melancholy. 

"Every day." Was his reply, tears edging his voice. 

She looked down at the photo in his hands, a blonde woman smiling up at them. She wore a soft pink dress, and pearls on her neck. But there was something else about her, not with the clothes she wore, but more with her spirit, for she was the embodiment of cheer. Ben flipped the photograph around briefly, but just long enough so that Rey could catch a glimpse of the writing on the back. 

Lucy Solo, 1902 - 1926. 

Rey had heard the general story from a few of her castmates, but she did not want to pry Ben for details since he was still grieving. Rey understood grief. She understood loss too, to a certain point. The thing that she knew the most, however, was how grief could unexpectedly put one’s life on hold for a while - without thinking twice. She heard from Finn and Rose that Ben was so stricken with the news of his wife’s death that he took a full year off from the company, and it was still difficult to be back without her presence. So, Rey being the type of person that wanted to comfort people who are suffering, did the best thing she could think of. 

She leaned her head on his shoulder, wrapping her arms around his middle. She could feel his tears falling down his neck, but was unbothered by them.

"It's going to be okay, Ben. It's going to be okay." She whispered the mantra into his shirt, wanting him to believe her, even though she was struggling to believe herself. 

Ben's breathing began to slow, and he wrapped his arms around Rey. The two sat in companionable silence for a few minutes, before he broke the hug, whispering a hoarce 'thanks, kid' into her hair. 

When they both calmed down, Rey stood up and headed towards the door, but not before she offered an invitation to Ben to join her. 

"Are you absolutely sure that you don't want to join us at the bar? I'll be sure to tell Poe to play nice," She suggested. 

"No thank you, Rey. I'd rather be alone right now. But I'll meet you in the lobby of the hotel, okay? We have to run over our lines again and form a rehearsal schedule." 

Rey just nodded and gave him a slight wave and exited his room to make her way to the bar car. 

Poe was the first to greet her. 

"Rey-Rey!" He shouted, nearly toppling off of his stool, " Where's Benny boy?" 

"He wasn't feeling up to it today, Poe. He wanted to be left alone." 

"Alooooonnneeeee", Poe slurred. "Reyyyy and Benn alll aloone. Rey loooovesss Bennnn. Reyyyy andd Benn."

Rose clamped a hand over his mouth before his voice got any louder. He muttered something against her hand, but it went unheard. 

'What I think Poe is trying to say, Rey, is that we all think that you are doing a good job being there for everyone and all. Especially Ben, he's been through a lot." Rose explained. 

Rey just nodded in agreement, thankful for Rose's voice of reason. She ordered herself a drink and the group spoke quietly about their trip so far, as well as their collective excitement for opening night. That is, until Finn decided to mutter something under his breath. 

"The two of them would be cute together though..." He pondered aloud. 

"Finn, don't say things like that. It invades both Rey and Ben's privacy, and it's only going to provoke Poe further." Rose warned. 

At the mention of his name, Poe perked up and grinned at Finn. 

"See Rosie! I told you so! They're in loovvveeee!" Poe sang. 

Rose covered his mouth with her hand again. 

"Ew Poe! Don't lick my hand!" She squealed. 

Rey could only giggle at them, thankful that she had such good friends in her life. Perhaps, because she was lucky enough to be with good people, the trip would go well and their show would be a success. 

Only two more hours to go until they reached the hotel. 

Two more hours until her life would change forever.

**Author's Note:**

> About a week ago, I had this really intense dream about being in the 1920s and decided to turn it into a full on Reylo fanfic. For context, all the characters (except for a mere few) are actors in the play Romeo and Juliet. If you are familiar with the play, I have included a list of the casting that I thought would be the most in line with the characters below, just in case I forget to include which people play which characters throughout the story. Also, I have decided to set this story in the year 1928, since I find that it works best with the fashion and historical details that I would like to include in the story.  
> One more detail that I would like to add is that during this chapter, Ben and Rey are very close to one another. This is not coincidental, because there would have been at least a few months of rehearsals before the touring of the play actually began. I would like to believe that throughout rehearsals, Ben and Rey have become close friends, even though he is still distant towards everyone in the cast except for friends of his late wife. 
> 
> Play Casting:  
> Rey Johnson - Juliet Capulet  
> Ben Solo - Romeo Montague  
> Rose Tico - Juliet's Cousin  
> Finn Storm - Benvolio  
> Poe Dameron - Mercutio  
> Armitage Hux - Tybalt Capulet
> 
> Hope you enjoyed the first chapter!


End file.
